Abstract

Introduction: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HD patients. Patients and Methods: This is a single-center study conducted at HD center, in Ilam, Iran. The study was included 87 HD patients to be tested. SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed with confirmed test by rRT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) assay. Results: Around 35.63 of HD patients were diagnosed as COVID-19 infection; most of them were male (74.4). Dyspnea (58.1) and cough (45.2) were the most common symptoms among HD cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Diabetes (16.1) and hypertension (19.4) were the most coexisting medical illnesses. About 12.9 of patients needed ICU care. Additionally, 16.1 of our patients died, which all of them were male. Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of COVID-19 among our HD group, accompanied by mild symptoms. The HD population is probably among the most sensitive and high-risk groups for COVID-19 because of advanced age, comorbidities disease, low-immune function and frequent required visits, and patient overload in HD centers. Preventive measures should be taken in order to minimize the virus transmission in dialysis centers. © 2022 The Author(s); Published by Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention.